Ottawa is threatening disciplinary action against foreign service officers
over an e-mail-based campaign stating that their union is in a legal strike
position.

The Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers says its members,
which include diplomats and visa and immigration officers, are paid
substantially less than those who do similar jobs in Canada. The union, which
has been without a contract since June, 2011, says it will continue to take
incremental job action in an effort to force the federal government back to the
bargaining table.

Calling it a “harbinger” of the 2013 budget to come, Treasury Board President Tony Clement released the main estimate for all federal government spending in the fiscal year that begins April 1.
THE CANADIAN PRESS

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Earlier this week, foreign service officers launched their first action, an
“electronic picket” in the form of an out-of-office message explaining that they
are in a legal strike position and apologizing for any delay in responding. The
note is sent automatically to anyone who e-mails a foreign service officer
taking part in the job action and includes a link to a web page detailing the
union’s grievances.

“Following a breakdown in collective bargaining with the
Government of Canada, members of the Professional Association of Foreign Service
Officers are now in a legal strike position. As a result, there may be a delay
in responding to your inquiry. We regret any inconvenience,” the message
states.

On Thursday afternoon, union members received a message demanding that they
remove the automatic e-mail reply. Nadir Patel, an assistant deputy minister in
the Department of Foreign Affairs, said in the note that foreign service
officers should not use their work e-mail for anything that could have an
adverse effect on the department. If the practice continued, he added, employees
could be fired.

“The use of the department’s electronic mail system, including
the ‘Out of Office’ feature or modifications or additions to signature blocks to
promote an agenda that is adverse to the interests of the department must cease
immediately,” the message states. “Should such inappropriate use of electronic
mail continue, it may result in administrative or disciplinary measures up to
and including termination of employment.”

The union has been unable to send e-mails directly to its members’ work
accounts since last Thursday.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird’s office referred questions
to the department. Tristan Landry, a spokesman for the department, said
the electronic picket contravenes Treasury Board policies for the use of
electronic networks. And he said the unions e-mails were blocked last week
because the collective agreement does not allow it to communicate with members
through their work accounts.

Timothy Edwards, the union’s president, said members have been instructed to
continue the electronic picket while the union files a complaint with the Public
Service Labour Relations Board over the department’s message, which he called an
“unfair labour practice.”

Mr. Edwards said the union’s biggest concern is that its 1,350 members are
paid significantly less than government employees who do similar work in Canada.
For some jobs, he said, the difference is almost $10,000 a year.

He said the union made several concessions in bargaining with the government,
including accepting a cap on annual pay increases and the loss of severance pay
for resignations and retirements. But he said it had no plans to budge on pay
equity.

“At the end of the day, we’re just trying to catch up with what
these other groups have already been granted in current or previous rounds of
bargaining,” he said.

A spokesman for Treasury Board President Tony Clement said it is
unfortunate that the union “would seek to deny services to Canadians,” and that
the government will do its best to ensure services are not
compromised.

“The foreign service is a highly sought after and well-paid
posting,” Matthew Conway wrote in an e-mailed response to questions. “The
government will continue to negotiate in good faith to reach a reasonable
settlement with PAFSO [the union] that is fair to workers and
taxpayers.”

Mr. Edwards said its members voted 82 per cent in favour of
giving the union a strike mandate in mid-March. He said the automatic
bounce-back e-mails were just the first step in job actions that could escalate
to include pickets outside of working hours and the withdrawal of
services.